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Author Topic: Referees for Aldershot games, 1991-1992 (expunged)  (Read 961 times)

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Left Field

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Looking back to the 1970s and earlier there did seem to be many more referees whose figures were less than svelte (although many of them were still good referees and some slimline refs were less than effective). I do wonder whether fitness issues may have been a reason why more referees back then struggled to keep their place. The Football League didn't introduce fitness tests until 1978 so it may have been before that time there were more referees whose fitness was below par and who in games had problems keeping up with play with consequent difficulties in decision-making and control. That did seem to be a familiar complaint in those days. There may also have been referees who started off with very good fitness but it declined over time. The referees with fitness problems may have been more likely to get low marks from assessors and clubs and then get dropped, or just get frustrated / dispirited and choose to move on. Tougher fitness tests these days mean these sorts of officials are unlikely to progress or the tests motivate them to get fitter and reach the required standard.

Whistleblower

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As I recall, one of the more "full-figured" referees was Michael Lowe ( Sheffield ) but always refereed extremely well when I saw him. Martin Bodenham had a large frame also and used to move about the pitch seemingly at no faster pace than a trot though his match control was first rate. Roger Furnanziz, another of the big brigade whose fitness was once questioned by a club manager after a play off match at which Furnandiz officiated; however I always found Furnandiz to be a good referee who had an innate feeling for the game.

Of course the very great Jack Taylor OBE didn't exactly rush about the pitch like a whippet but was probably one of the finest referees the world has produced.

Now the pace of the game is so fast and referees have to be 'on the spot' to successfully sell their decisions, there is no longer any place for those very good referees who carried a fair bit of timber on their persons.
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Left Field

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It's certainly true that it is possible to be a capable and even very good referee while not being highly athletic. Good judgement of incidents and skills in handling players are always going to be the most important qualities in refereeing. Roger Kirkpatrick was probably the best known ample-figured referee of the past and had those latter two skills as well as an engaging personality. One wonders whether he would have been so well-remembered if he had been otherwise the same but had a trim, less distinctive physique. Gwyn Owen a few years later was another more full-figured referee who was well-regarded. As you say though times change, players become fitter and more adept and the game quickens and the physical expectations on referees become more demanding as well. Maybe there is also a credibility issue and a referee at any level who turns up looking out of shape or seems to be struggling to keep up during games (whatever his build) will find it difficult to gain confidence, whatever his other qualities.

Whistleblower

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Of the present crop, there are no really big frame referees who I can think of with the exception of Brett Huxtable. He comes in for a fair bit of criticism on RTR; I have seen him live only once and he was excellent on that occasion.

Acme Thunderer

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In his autobiography, Jeff Winter referred to fitness issues with his North Eastern colleague Geoff Frankland which had led him to drop off the list early. I don't think I ever saw Geoff in action but a TV game involving Crewe suggested that he was what you might call 'heavily built'.

TVOS

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In his autobiography, Jeff Winter referred to fitness issues with his North Eastern colleague Geoff Frankland which had led him to drop off the list early. I don't think I ever saw Geoff in action but a TV game involving Crewe suggested that he was what you might call 'heavily built'.

Graham Frankland
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Hendo

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One of the biggest refs north of the border was the highly respected  Tom “Tiny” Wharton, who stood at 6 foot 4, with a bulk to match, hence the nickname!
He reffed 4 Scottish Cup Finals, 4 Scottish League Cup Finals, the 1962 Cup Winners Cup Final and numerous internationals. His size didn’t seem to hinder an illustrious career, which ended in an administration brief with the Scottish F A  and the OBE too.
Some great pictures of him on the net, including one trying to break up a fight in an Old Firm clash

olddeagle

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One of the biggest refs north of the border was the highly respected  Tom “Tiny” Wharton, who stood at 6 foot 4, with a bulk to match, hence the nickname!
He reffed 4 Scottish Cup Finals, 4 Scottish League Cup Finals, the 1962 Cup Winners Cup Final and numerous internationals. His size didn’t seem to hinder an illustrious career, which ended in an administration brief with the Scottish F A  and the OBE too.
Some great pictures of him on the net, including one trying to break up a fight in an Old Firm clash
I read somewhere that the Glasgow police always asked for Wharton to get the Old Firm derby because they reasoned that with him in charge there was less chance of trouble on the field, and therefore less chance of trouble off it. I'm not sure if that always held good though!

olddeagle

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I agree it is odd how certain place-names seem to be reflected in many surnames while other places - often much bigger - are rarely encountered. As you say there are many Blackburns, Boltons and Prestons but almost never "Mr. Manchester" or "Mr. Liverpool". We have an occasional "Bermingham" but rarely if ever a "Mr. Birmingham". Some surname etymologist can no doubt explain this apparent anomaly.

Going back almost 60 years one of our top referees had a surname suggesting he should have hailed from the Second City.

Linesmen / assistants are less well-known but Mr. Mansfield was based in a town beginning with the same letter and with the same ending. Breaking the rule about larger places and surnames there was a linesman called Mr. Nottingham who came from... Mansfield. Even further back in time there was a Mr. Brighton who was based in various North London locations.

As regards nations, "Holland" is a very common surname and "Ireland" pops-up not infrequently (though very rarely with people actually from Ireland). A rarer example was linesman Alan Poland who was based in... Worthing.

I presume the second city reference was to Ken Aston (who came from Ilford!)

In the 50s there was a Mr B M Birmingham on the Southern League list who came from Acton in West London.

reflector

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Of the present crop, there are no really big frame referees who I can think of with the exception of Brett Huxtable. He comes in for a fair bit of criticism on RTR; I have seen him live only once and he was excellent on that occasion.
  At a time when we are told that we are all getting bigger and less fit, I suppose that is a big tribute to the active referees of today.
reflector
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Timbo

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An irrelevant but nevertheless strange anecdote here is that the last owner and Chairman of the "old" Aldershot FC prior to insolvency was a chap called Trevor Gladwell. He was born and bred in Aldershot but lived and ran a business in Oxford.

Trevor was a highly-rated Class One referee who was registered with the Oxfordshire FA. He was in the middle on the Hellenic League, and was only blocked from lining on a contributory league because of age. I believe that the limit was 38 years of age at that time.

Bizarrely, a framed portrait of Trevor at Aldershot FC is currently on sale on eBay :-       

https://www.amazon.com/Vintage-photo-of-Trevor-gladwell/dp/B07JR9H3JD

[I have no connection with the seller]
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guest42

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Quick call back to the start of the thread - I met David Shadwell in many occasions when I was active in Worcestershire during the late 1990s/2000s.

As I recall he was a nice guy who shared his vast experience at higher levels with anyone who asked.
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